A lackluster FISMA report card

By Sean Lyngaas

Mar 03, 2015

The Office of Management and Budget's annual cybersecurity report card noted an increase in both cyber intrusions and measures agencies took to detect them.

Federal agencies reported some 70,000 information security incidents in fiscal 2014, up 15 percent from fiscal 2014, according to the OMB report. At the same time, agencies improved their average grade for implementing continuous monitoring from 81 percent to 92 percent.

Agency scores on identification authentication were less positive. Outside of the Defense Department, only 41 percent of CFO Act agencies implemented an identity authentication measure in fiscal 2014, the report said.

OMB last year granted the Department of Homeland Security enhanced authority to scan federal networks for cyber threats on a regular basis. That new authority will be assessed in next fiscal year's report, OMB said.